Ceratosaurus
}} Ceratosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that originated from Late Jurassic North America, Africa and Europe. Distinguished by a bladed horn on its snout, the Ceratosaurus is the first large carnivore available to the Hammond Foundation on Isla Matanceros. History Ceratosaurus was one of the animals illegally cloned by InGen on Isla Sorna in 1999, soon after the company had been acquired by Masrani Global. After InGen abandoned the cloning facility on Sorna, the Ceratosaurus was released into the wilds of the island, where it was briefly encountered by the survivors of a plane crash on the island in 2001. The existence of the Ceratosaurus, which was absent on InGen's list, was later reported to the authorities, as with the presence of Corythosaurus, Ankylosaurus and a Spinosaurus, though these reports were later covered up.Dinosaur Protection Group, What Killed the Gene Guard Act (http://www.dinosaurprotectiongroup.com/what-killed-the-gene-guard-act.html Dinosaur Protection Group Article) It is unknown if any Ceratosaurs were transported to Isla Nublar when Jurassic World opened in 2005. As of 2018, it has been revealed that the Ceratosaurus population was the victim of an unconfirmed form of cruelty, likely referring to the aforementioned 1999 illegal cloning event.http://www.dinosaurprotectiongroup.com/images/posters/cruelty.jpg It is unknown if there are any surviving populations.https://twitter.com/Jack_Ewins/status/1052300874163376129 Description The base genome of Ceratosaurus has a red head, neck, and upper back, and a creamy body with dark black stripes. It has a large number of osteoderms, a horn on its snout, and a smaller horn above each eye. Behavior Ceratosaurus is an aggressive and voracious predator, that targets mainly smaller herbivores but can also tackle larger herbivores, including ''Triceratops''. They can either be housed alone, in pairs or in a group of three, depending on the size of the exhibit. Paleontology Ceratosaurus remains have been found in North America and Tanzania, and possibly in Portugal. In the Morrison Formation, it is one of the rarer theropods, being overshadowed by the more common Allosaurus. An interesting feature of Ceratosaurus are the lines of osteoderms, raised bony growths, down its back which are similar to a crocodile. These act as a type of armor, which suggests that Ceratosaurus competed with and even fought with larger carnivores such as Torvosaurus and Allosaurus. It can be deduced that Ceratosaurus was in the middle of the food chain or lived in a different area to these other predators. Its primary prey was small to medium ornithopod dinosaurs such as Dryosaurus, Camptosaurus or Othnielosaurus. There are some species of Ceratosaurus that have been estimated to be as big as some Allosaurus. However, there aren't enough bones to show how big the species actually got. Ceratosaurus' most famous feature is its three horns, one on its snout and two above its eyes. Originally it was believed to have been a dangerous weapon used to attack herbivores or rivals. In recent studies, it has been concluded that the horns were too blunt and fragile to be used as weapons and were more likely a display feature that helped it attract mates. Its four-fingered arms were short but strangely muscular and its fangs were some of longest in comparison to its skull with them going past its bottom jaw on some specimens which probably means its jaw could open incredibly wide to swallow food. It could possibly have used these fangs to rip out the jugular of larger prey. Ceratosaurus' tail was very flexible and helped it swim which may point to it supplementing its diet with aquatic prey. Even though the Ceratosaurus was smaller than the Allosaurus, it actually outlived the latter into the Cretaceous, as shown by its South American descendant Genyodectes. Cosmetics Trivia *''Ceratosaurus'' was the second dinosaur to receive a Species Profile, on 26 January 2018. *''Ceratosaurus'' is the first carnivore available in the game. *''Ceratosaurus'' is the second most sociable medium-large carnivore in the game, with the first being Spinoraptor. *The base genome of the Ceratosaurus is based on its appearance in Jurassic Park III.Jurassic Park III However, in-game, Ceratosaurus is slightly different, with hornlets above the eyes, a more slender skull, blade-like teeth and four fingers similar to its real-life counterpart. * Ceratosaurus previously appeared in Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis, considered by many to be Jurassic World Evolution's spiritual predecessor. *In an update on 13 September, 2018, Ceratosaurus was slightly downsized. However, despite even this, in reality, Ceratosaurus was considerably smaller, averaging 6 to 7 meters in length and weighing between 275 and 980 kg. Gallery CeratoUluk@Ï.jpg Cerato2Uluk@Ï.jpg CeratoC-Rex.png CeratoThingontheFloor.jpg CeratoShirow.jpg CeratoLike Thunder From The Sky ϟ.jpg References Further reading External links Category:Dinosaurs Category:Theropods Category:Carnivores Category:Film Dinosaurs Category:Isla Matanceros Unlock